Barcelona'sLionel Messi is widely recognised as one of the greatest football players in the world, having recentlyscored his 500th goal for the club this month and shown the touch, awareness and class to outdo any professional footballer around.
Messi is also part of an exclusive club of players known as the 'La Masia' generation of 1987, a group of players born in a specialyear which produced the likes ofGerard Piqué, Cesc Fabregas and Pedro.
However, it seems that a much less renowned player from that group, who also learned his trade in the Barcelona training camp of La Masia, is owed a specialspot in the history books.
Messi linked to ridiculous £200 million and £500,000-a-week transfer fromBarcelona https://t.co/sIGlhq1FKs pic.twitter.com/hYfvxSvghM
A certain Juanjo Clausi arrived at La Masia when he was twelve and played alongside young Lionel for five years. Despite being a year older, a then-shyMessi was dropped down to Clausi's age group because of his famously diminutive stature.
Messi wore the no. 10 shirt even then, but there was a criminal weakness in the Argentine's evolving game: free kicks. Clausi, who ended up playing his football at third division level in Spain while Messi went on to conquer the world, was the twelve-year-old in the team given that honourahead of him.
"Everybody asks me about my time with Messi, it's very common," Clausi smiled topasionfutbol.
"He was very shy and quiet, hardly spoke, going to tournaments keeping to himself. It is a privilege to know him."
Unsurprisingly, the man who helped Messi get over his free kick difficulties was none other than Argentine legend Diego Maradona.
Argentine Football Association (AFA) hadn't paid security guards salary for 6 months. Messi knew about it and paid them himself.
What a man! pic.twitter.com/TjfyH2JahZ
Maradona's physical trainer Fernando Signiori tells a story in his book 'Futbol, llamado a la rebelion'of one incident involving Messi and a free kick, while he was conducting a separate training exercise at the other end of the pitch.
"At one point, Lionel hit [a free kick] and its trajectory went away above the angle. He made a gesture of annoyance and as he headed back to the dressing room I stopped him. 'Tell me one thing. You're telling me a player like you is going to take a shower after that rubbish? Get the ball and try that again'."
Maradona, who had heard it all, then took Messi under his wing to help the youngster on his second attempt. "'Don't strike the ball so quickly, you won't know what you want to do with it' [said Maradona]. Then, he stroked the ball with his left foot and nailed the free kick underneath the angle, in front of Messi's admiring eyes."
Ultimately, Messi would turn out to be one of the greatest free kick takers in global football, so the rest, as they say, is history.